Celmisia Semicordata

Celmisia semicordata is one of New Zealand’s most imposing mountain daisies, forming broad rosettes of leathery, sword-shaped leaves with reflective silver-green upper surfaces and thick white wool beneath. Stout, felted stems carry large white daisies with golden centres in summer. Known as tikumu, the plant has an important Māori history: the soft, insulating fibre from beneath the leaves was used in rain capes, cloaks, leggings and other protective garments. Endemic to South Island grasslands and rocky slopes, it is a magnificent but demanding subject for a cool, permanently moist alpine garden.